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Known for their brutal training regime, the Agoge, a militaristic society, male children were separated into the weak and strong. At the age of seven, the strong were sent off to begin their military training. The weak were sent to the mountains, to die. Sparta was also known for their great, long lasting rivalry with the city-state of Athens. Sparta fought many wars, battling many foes, such as the Persians, Athenians, and other Greek city states. Neither Philip II of Macedonia, nor Alexander the Great tried to conquer Sparta, and so the Spartans were the only Greeks who didn't take part in Alexander's war against Persia.

During the Punic Wars, Sparta allied with the Romans against the Carthaginians. Yet Spartan independence ended when it was forced into the Achaean League. Then, in 146 BC, the Roman general, Lucius Mummius, conquered Greece. During the Roman rule, the Spartans were able to continue their way of life, and the city became a tourist attraction for the wealthy Roman elite who wished to view the Spartans' exotic customs.

Kratos grew up in Sparta, and became one of its greatest warriors. Like all other Spartan boys, Kratos was sent off to receive military training at age seven. Soon after, he grew to become its greatest general, leading them through large amounts of battles.

Raised as a Spartan, he is sometimes referred to as Spartan or Ghost of Sparta, the latter being due to having the ashes of his wife, Lysandra, and child, Calliope, forever coated to his skin. In God of War II, Kratos is worshipped throughout Sparta as the new God of War, and under his command, they siege city after city.

The streets of Sparta.

Another notable character from Sparta is the Last Spartan. During a fight with Kratos, in which his true identity was hidden from the former god, he gets mortally wounded. In his dying breath, the Spartan informs Kratos of Sparta's destruction at the hands of Zeus. The people cried out for their god to save them, but he did not come. With that, Kratos' hatred for the King of Olympus grew even stronger. By going back in time to fight Zeus, Kratos ultimately saved Sparta along with the Last Spartan.

However, after killing Poseidon, which caused a massive flood over all of Greece, Kratos most likely, although unintentionally, wiped out all of Sparta but some of its inhabitants may have survived the flooding.